IPL to restart on 17 May, final set for 3 June

The Indian Premier League is set to resume action on 17 May after the Indian and Pakistan governments negotiated a ceasefire to the cross-border conflicts that caused the League to be halted less than a week ago. 

The rescheduled 13 league games and the four playoff matches will be played at just six venues – Bengaluru, Jaipur, Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai and Ahmedabad – with playoff venues yet to be confirmed. The change to six venues has resulted in the Punjab Kings, the Chennai Super Kings and the Sunrisers Hyderabad losing their home ground advantage for some of their remaining matches, although the Punjab Kings are the only side of the three still in the playoff hunt.

The League was called to a halt halfway through the first innings of the League match between the Punjab Kings and the Delhi Capitals, and that match has been rescheduled to 24 May. 

The revised schedule puts pressure on players taking part in the ODI series between England and West Indies starting on 29 May in Birmingham and the India A tour of England (beginning 30 May). It also reduces the gap between the final of the IPL on 3 June and the World Test Championship final at Lord’s between South Africa and Australia, which starts on 11 June. 

Players still in the running for the IPL playoffs who could be playing in the WTC final include Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Josh Inglis of Australia, and Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton and Kwena Mphaka of South Africa.

The major concern for the franchises is bringing all their players back from overseas after being released when the League was postponed.